]]>http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/31/toy-guide-update-santa-yoda-hand-crafted-fabriche/feed/0Disney Store to Unveil All-New Product Collections at D23 Expo 2015http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/26/disney-store-to-unveil-all-new-product-collections-at-d23-expo-2015/
http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/26/disney-store-to-unveil-all-new-product-collections-at-d23-expo-2015/#commentsSun, 26 Jul 2015 05:38:34 +0000http://www.sirstevesguide.com/?p=5423 Disney Store has announced their all-new collections and Limited Editions set to launch at this year’s D23 EXPO 2015, and included in them is, of course, Star Wars. Fans attending the D23 Expo can pick up an early release of the full set of exclusive Star Wars Elite Series of die cast action figures […]

Disney Store has announced their all-new collections and Limited Editions set to launch at this year’s D23 EXPO 2015, and included in them is, of course, Star Wars. Fans attending the D23 Expo can pick up an early release of the full set of exclusive Star Wars Elite Series of die cast action figures (including Expo-exclusive R2 and 3PO), as well as the Star Wars Legion Helmets series of vinyl Stormtroper helmets, and 3D-printed Stormtroopers personalized with your own likeness.

Located within the Disney Consumer Products Pavilion at D23 EXPO – Disney’s ultimate fan event held at the Anaheim Convention Center August 14–16 – the Disney Store shop will feature new and exclusive products showcased throughout more than 3,000 sq. ft. of retail space. New items celebrating everyone’s favorite characters will be unveiled each day throughout the weekend.

In addition to offering attendees the chance to shop special products not yet available to the general public, fans will also have the chance to meet the artists and designers who created these exciting new collections and be treated to the official Disney Store opening ceremony on Friday, August 14. During the ceremony, a special attendee will be chosen to “unlock imagination” at 9 a.m. alongside some of Disney’s most famous characters.

Star Wars– Disney Store will launch an exclusive collection of Star Wars items at the EXPO on Friday, August 14. The collection will feature apparel, collectibles, and toys, including the Star Wars Elite Series, a new line of highly articulated and detailed die cast action figures, representing characters from Star Wars Episodes I-VI. The action figures will be sold individually at Disney Store locations beginning later this year; however, EXPO attendees have the opportunity to purchase the full set of Star Wars Elite Series action figures, which includes D23 EXPO-exclusive versions of R2-D2 and C-3PO.

– Additionally at D23 EXPO, Disney Store will introduce Star Wars Legion Helmets, a series of eight vinyl collectible helmets inspired by the Star Wars Legion Helmet project launched in early 2014. Celebrating creativity and Star Wars, the project pulled together artists from across The Walt Disney Company, resulting in 300 stormtrooper helmets being transformed into diverse pieces of art, which inspired these collectible recreations – epic additions to every Empire.

– Disney Store will be launching “Disney 3D Print Studio” at D23 EXPO, offering fans the chance to personalize new figures, including a Disney Mouseketeer, Star Wars stormtrooper, and Marvel’s Iron Man, with their likeness through the use of facial-scanning kiosks. Marking the first foray into 3D printing by Disney Store, the figures sold at EXPO will feature unique packaging with a special D23 Certificate of Authenticity.

New this year, in an effort to minimize wait times for guests, D23 is introducing StorePass at select D23 EXPO shopping locations, including the Disney Store shop. A limited quantity of StorePass tickets will be available starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 14, and while they last, at the StorePass desk located adjacent to the StagePass distribution area in Hall A. Guests can visit D23EXPO.com’s “Things to Know” page for more details.

We’ll keep updated with everything Star Wars at the D23 Expo. Tickets and more info are available at D23expo.com

]]>http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/26/disney-store-to-unveil-all-new-product-collections-at-d23-expo-2015/feed/1Disney’s D23 EXPO Star Wars Eventshttp://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/25/disneys-d23-expo-star-wars-events/
http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/25/disneys-d23-expo-star-wars-events/#respondSun, 26 Jul 2015 03:20:27 +0000http://www.sirstevesguide.com/?p=5417This year’s Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA – August 14th through 16th – will have some Star Wars-related programming and exhibits worth checking out. We at SirStevesGuide.com will be there to cover all the goodies, but if you also find yourself at the expo, here’s a rundown of what to see and when to […]

]]>This year’s Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA – August 14th through 16th – will have some Star Wars-related programming and exhibits worth checking out. We at SirStevesGuide.com will be there to cover all the goodies, but if you also find yourself at the expo, here’s a rundown of what to see and when to see it.

— Presentations —

Disney Legends Awards Ceremony — Friday, 10am to noon, Hall D23Star Wars creator George Lucas, composer Danny Elfman, All My Children star Susan Lucci, Disney Animator Andreas Deja and other beloved contributors to the Disney legacy will be named and honored as official Disney Legends during D23 EXPO 2015 at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 14, in Hall D23 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The ceremony will be hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, and will include special musical performances.

GEORGE LUCAS, whose Star Wars films made him one of the most successful filmmakers of all time, is also a longtime Disney fan who has left an indelible impression on Disney parks. His first project with Disney was Captain EO, the 1986 3-D spectacular starring Michael Jackson and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Star Tours and Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, as well as Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril in Disneyland Paris, and two blockbuster Indiana Jones Adventure attractions at Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea round out Lucas’ timeless work in conjunction with Disney.

Worlds, Galaxies, and Universes: Live Action at the Walt Disney Studios — Saturday, 10:30am to 12:30pm, Hall D23
Disney, Marvel and Lucasfilm are home to some of the planet’s best storytellers, immersing audiences fully in the world of each film from beginning to end and beyond. In this exclusive Hall D23 presentation, join Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn for a tour of upcoming live-action projects from these legendary film studios. A bevy of special guests will be on hand to offer a look at an unparalleled slate that includes Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Jungle Book, Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, Star Wars: The Force Awakens—and much, much more.

It’s Game Time – Disney Interactive Takes the Stage — Sunday, 11am to noon, Hall D23In the Hall D23 presentation on Sunday, August 16 at 11 a.m., fans won’t want to miss never-before-seen gameplay, trailers, new reveals and surprises from Disney Interactive’s most anticipated games. Among the games participating in the presentation are: Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition, Star Wars™Battlefront™ from Electronic Arts and KINGDOM HEARTS III from Square Enix. Disney Interactive will showcase more Star Wars characters and Play Sets new to Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition and provide the entire audience with limited-edition giveaways exclusively for Hall D23. Electronic Arts will give guests an in-depth look at Star Wars Battlefront, the authentic Star Wars gaming experience coming November 17.

— D23 Expo show floor —

The Walt Disney Studios – Show Floor Exhibition
Step into the worlds of The Walt Disney Studios in this wide-ranging showcase of exciting projects from Disney Live Action, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Disneynature, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm. Among the highlights:

– For the first time at D23 EXPO, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios have created a joint experience no Disney fan should miss. With live demonstrations, presentations, and autograph signings with top filmmakers from each studio, plus free giveaways and interactive displays featuring the films Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Zootopia, Finding Dory and Moana, this is a can’t-miss attraction for animation fans.

Disney Interactive Pavilion
– Players will join forces with Star Wars, Marvel, Disney and Disney•Pixar characters in Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition, the next chapter in the best-selling “hybrid toy / video game” series. Guests will have the chance to play some of the new Disney Infinity Play Sets, Star Wars™ Twilight of the Republic, Star Wars™ Rise Against the Empire and Disney•Pixar’s Inside Out, and the fully enhanced Toy Box mode. Pavilion guests will also be able to visit the “Only in the Toy Box” Experience. Using a new augmented reality technology, fans can step into a virtual Toy Box environment and interact alongside their favorite Disney, Disney•Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters found inside Disney Infinity. Disney Infinity will also be giving away thousands of pre-release Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition figures featuring popular characters from across The Walt Disney Company (while supplies last).

– Pavilion guests will also be able to live out some of their Star Wars battle fantasies by going hands-on with Star Wars Battlefront.

– In the pavilion’s game lounge, fans can take a break from the show floor and try out the hottest mobile games including Star Wars: Commander, Frozen Free Fall and LINE: Disney Tsum Tsum.

Disney Consumer Products Pavilion
– Evolution of the Star Wars Stormtrooper – Explore the design evolution of the armor-clad legions of Clone Troopers and Stormtroopers that have fought for the light side and the dark side throughout the Star Wars saga. (more…)

– Disney Store. Star Wars fans can pick up an early release of the full set of exclusive Star Wars Elite Series of die cast action figures (including Expo-exclusive R2 and 3PO), as well as the Star Wars Legion Helmets series of vinyl Stormtroper helmets. (more…)

– Disney 3D Print Studio is offering fans the chance to personalize new figures, including a Disney Mouseketeer, Star Wars stormtrooper, and Marvel’s Iron Man, with their likeness through the use of facial-scanning kiosks. Marking the first foray into 3D printing by Disney Store, the figures sold at EXPO will feature unique packaging with a special D23 Certificate of Authenticity.

]]>http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/25/disneys-d23-expo-star-wars-events/feed/0SDCC 2015: Hasbro Star Wars Q&A with Jeff Labovitzhttp://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/13/sdcc-2015-hasbro-star-wars-qa-with-jeff-labovitz/
http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/13/sdcc-2015-hasbro-star-wars-qa-with-jeff-labovitz/#commentsMon, 13 Jul 2015 15:15:48 +0000http://www.sirstevesguide.com/?p=5410At San Diego Comic-Con, we spoke with Jeff Labovitz, Hasbro’s director of global marketing for Star Wars, and asked him several of our questions about the line. SSG: The Toys R Us exclusive Jabba’s Rancor Pit has a newly sculpted Jabba along with the previously released Rancor and a couple other figures. Will this new […]

]]>At San Diego Comic-Con, we spoke with Jeff Labovitz, Hasbro’s director of global marketing for Star Wars, and asked him several of our questions about the line.

SSG: The Toys R Us exclusive Jabba’s Rancor Pit has a newly sculpted Jabba along with the previously released Rancor and a couple other figures. Will this new Jabba be available separately?

JL: Not planned right now. But it’s such a great tool. It’s something we can absolutely look at. It’s a great figure, and we can’t get enough of Jabba, right? Everybody loves Jabba.

SSG: Yep. So, the Yavin Ceremony Leia was bumped from her case assortment due to issues with her robe.

JL: Yes, we wanted to get her robe just right, because you’ve got to get everything about Princess Leia just right. So we actually had to find the right vendor with the right type of robe—the right fabric—to get as close to on-model as we could, and that’s why we chose to delay the figure just a little while in order to get it right. But she’s coming.

SSG: Still in the pipeline, right?

JL: Oh, absolutely. We love it. Absolutely.

SSG: That’s good to know. Many of the Star Wars Rebels figures remain very popular, but also difficult to find, especially Chopper. Will they be repacked for season two, or are there plans to sculpt new versions of the characters?

JL: There will be a combination of the two. We absolutely want to get more of the Rebels figures out there. And just because we’re getting into The Force Awakens and some new movies, we’re absolutely going to keep doing Rebels and classic figures. So we know we want to get more Chopper out there, Sabine, Hera, Zeb—all the big ones.

SSG: Will we still be seeing a good amount of support for Star Wars Rebels and the previous films this fall, or will the focus be pretty much on The Force Awakens?

JL: There will be a bit of everything this fall. Right on September 4, set for Force Friday with the movie line, there’s a lot of movie product, but there’s still Rebels and classic in there. Once you get past that first wave—so a little bit later in the year—there’s even more Rebels and more classic. So all told, a good percentage of our line is still dedicated to the best of classic, and Rebels especially. So we celebrate the entire saga throughout the whole year.

SSG: That’s good to hear. So The Black Series 3¾” line has included a few repacks, like Darth Malgus and the Imperial Navy Commander. How do you typically determine which ones to repack? Is it ever determined by their secondary market value?

JL: No, absolutely not. Most often, we look on the fan sites and we get a sense for what figures are in the highest demand, and that signals to us that we want to get more out there. So that’s what led us to reissue Gamorrean Guard, the Imperial Navy Commander… So we pay close attention to the sites and we do the best job we can at getting the figures out there. It might take us a little while, but we have long memories and we know that we don’t get enough figures out there at times.

SSG: So we just finished the first Fans’ Choice poll for the 6” line, and Darth Revan was determined to be the winner.

JL: Yes! Darth Revan!

SSG: Are there any plans to do another fan poll for 3¾”?

JL: You know, that’s a good question. We haven’t planned that yet. That’s a great idea. We love the Fans’ Choice poll. It’s about time we brought it back! It was such a success this time. We absolutely want to keep that direct connection to the fans going. The trouble is, you guys voted on such great figures, we want to do all of them.

SSG: Yeah, we love all of them, too.

JL: Yeah, they were so good.

SSG: That brings us to our next question. What kind of content can we expect from the Hasbro Pulse program?

JL: There will be steady content over the next few weeks and months—all the new figure waves. As soon as we get closer to September 4—Force Friday—right after that date we’ll be able to share a lot of information about our line and detailed interviews with our designers and sculptors, a lot of behind-the-scenes footage of what goes on in the making of our toys.

SSG: Lots to look forward to. There’s been a lot of attention lately on the number of female figures in action figure lines, from Rebels females arriving after the male heroes to Black Widow not appearing in some Avengers toy lines. Some of this might reflect the notion that boys don’t want to play with girl characters, but that comes off to many fans as a little old-fashioned. Marvel lines, for instance, have had several females in recent waves—each wave has at least two female characters—and we have already had four Leias available this year, so it’s not like there have been no female action figures. Regardless, has any of this attention caused you to rethink how you’re going to handle female characters in the future?

JL: We’ve always thought of Star Wars as for everybody. And we’re so excited, we just revealed Ahsoka Tano in a realistic sculpt from Rebels and what her figure looks like decoed. We’re very excited Sabine Wren came in second for the Fans’ Choice poll, so she’s absolutely now in the line. We were dying to do that figure. And we’ve got much more to come, certainly for the movie line, and beyond. The benefit of the new entertainment and the new television shows is that there’s so much in terms of strong female characters, and we like to celebrate it all.

SSG: Sounds very good. For years, you guys have said that playsets were just not feasible in the Star Wars line because kids were just not that interested in that play pattern. However, with Avengers: Age of Ultron, we’ve seen some modular playsets for 2” figures. Even though that was not done by your team, but the Marvel team, is this something of a test to see if they’re still viable for Star Wars?

JL: I’m a huge playset fan, so I’m sold. I think what you might expect to see in the future are playsets that maybe find their way into large vehicles. So think of vehicles that can be combined with playsets. We certainly want to take that route. Because the beauty of Star Wars—not only are the characters so important, but the vehicles themselves are characters in themselves. But unique to Star Wars, the environments are so signature, whether it’s the interior of a Star Destroyer, or Death Star, or Hoth. Those are such fertile ground to have great play. We absolutely want to chase that for the next few years.

SSG: In the new Universe two-pack line, which includes Ahsoka and Vader from Rebels, they’re listed at $14.99. That’s a bit up from the current price point at $9.99. Will these figures be of a higher quality, or is it just that the $9.99 price point isn’t sustainable anymore?

JL: At Hasbro, we don’t always control what retail prices the figure’s at, so you’ll see some variation.

SSG: The upcoming Star Wars Risk game is labeled as part of The Black Series. That makes it the first product outside of action figures to use that name. Why was this name expanded beyond figures, and what else can we expect under The Black Series banner?

JL: We felt like it was a great match for Risk in particular, because it’s a strategy game and it aligns itself very well to a premium line. To us, Black Series is as authentic as we can make something, high-quality, so that can certainly stretch well beyond figures and vehicles. Now you’re possibly seeing it in role-play as well, with the Force FX lightsabers. So a very premium strategy game seems like a very logical next place to go as well, where we can take these games that have very authentic pieces and plus them up even more. So we’re not ready to talk about what’s coming next in Black Series, but more to come for sure, beyond just figures and vehicles.

SSG: Thanks Jeff for your time, and on behalf of the community at SirSteve’s Guide, thanks for everything.

JL: Thank you for your support.

———

Thanks again to Jeff Labovitz and Hasbro for taking the time to answer our questions! Thanks also to Justin Aclin and Brandon Rohwer of Hunter PR for arranging the interview!

]]>http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/13/sdcc-2015-hasbro-star-wars-qa-with-jeff-labovitz/feed/2Star Wars: The Force Awakens SDCC Behind The Scenes Videohttp://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/12/star-wars-the-force-awakens-sdcc-behind-the-scenes-video/
http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/12/star-wars-the-force-awakens-sdcc-behind-the-scenes-video/#respondSun, 12 Jul 2015 17:47:04 +0000http://www.sirstevesguide.com/?p=5401San Diego Comic Con’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens panel had stars, bad guys, classic heroes, coffee and donuts, a free concert with fireworks, and a question from Batman. One of the highlights you didn’t need to be in Hall H for though was this impressive Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3-and-a-half-minute, behind-the-scenes video. This […]

]]>San Diego Comic Con’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens panel had stars, bad guys, classic heroes, coffee and donuts, a free concert with fireworks, and a question from Batman. One of the highlights you didn’t need to be in Hall H for though was this impressive Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3-and-a-half-minute, behind-the-scenes video.

This video surely will have fans asking “why isn’t it December yet?”

If you want to see the entire panel minus video content (which is how it avoids copyright infringement issues), check out Flicks And The City’s video of it on Youtube.

]]>http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/12/star-wars-the-force-awakens-sdcc-behind-the-scenes-video/feed/0Hot Toys – MMS304 – Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope 1/6th scale Luke Skywalker (Stormtrooper Disguise Version)http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/11/hot-toys-mms304-star-wars-episode-iv-a-new-hope-16th-scale-luke-skywalker-stormtrooper-disguise-version/
http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/11/hot-toys-mms304-star-wars-episode-iv-a-new-hope-16th-scale-luke-skywalker-stormtrooper-disguise-version/#respondSat, 11 Jul 2015 06:11:07 +0000http://www.sirstevesguide.com/?p=5387On a chance purchase of the two droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, Luke Skywalker has discovered a desperate message from Princess Leia’s call for help which has changed his life forever! After encountering Ben Kenobi, Han Solo and Chewbacca, they have set off on a journey to aboard the Death Star to rescue Princess Leia. In […]

]]>On a chance purchase of the two droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, Luke Skywalker has discovered a desperate message from Princess Leia’s call for help which has changed his life forever! After encountering Ben Kenobi, Han Solo and Chewbacca, they have set off on a journey to aboard the Death Star to rescue Princess Leia.

In one of the classic scenes in A New Hope, Luke Skywalker has disguised as a Stormtrooper to infiltrate the detention centre where the Princess is held captive. Today,HotToys is pleased to announce the 1/6th scale Luke Skywalker (Stormtrooper Disguise Version) Collectible Figure as one of the 2015 Toy Fair Exclusive items!The movie-accurate collectible figure is specially crafted based on the image of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker disguised as a Stormtrooper in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. It features a newly painted head sculpt, specially tailored Stormtrooper armor, an interchangeable Stormtrooper helmet with mechanically detailed interior, weapons and accessories, and a figure stand.

]]>http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/11/hot-toys-mms304-star-wars-episode-iv-a-new-hope-16th-scale-luke-skywalker-stormtrooper-disguise-version/feed/0Hasbro SDCC Panel Reveals in Hi-Reshttp://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/10/hasbro-sdcc-panel-reveals-in-hi-res/
http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/10/hasbro-sdcc-panel-reveals-in-hi-res/#respondSat, 11 Jul 2015 03:39:49 +0000http://www.sirstevesguide.com/?p=5385Take a look at the San Diego Comic-Con 2015 Panel reveals in all of their Hi-Res glory! STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES FIRST ORDER SPECIAL FORCES TIE FIGHTER 6-Inch Scale Vehicle (Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $169.99/Available: Fall 2015) The largest vehicle ever produced by Hasbro for STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES, this […]

The largest vehicle ever produced by Hasbro for STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES, this incredibly detailed Star Wars: The Force Awakens vehicle features movie-accurate wings and cockpit! The FIRST ORDER SPECIAL FORCES TIE FIGHTER is scaled to the 6-inch STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES figures and comes with an exclusive 6-inch FIRST ORDER TIE FIGHTER PILOT ELITE to steer the starfighter into battle. Other figures sold separately.

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIESTITANIUM SERIES Vehicle Assortment

(Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $4.99/Available: Fall 2015)

Assemble your own fleet of STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES TITANIUM SERIES premium vehicles based on the epic Star Wars films. These collectible vehicles include an X-WING, B-WING, DARTH VADER’S TIE ADVANCED, LUKE’S LANDSPEEDER, SLAVE I and more! Each pack includes one vehicle and one collector stand. Each sold separately.

]]>http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/10/hasbro-sdcc-panel-reveals-in-hi-res/feed/0Hasbro Star Wars SDCC Panel Detailshttp://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/10/hasbro-star-wars-sdcc-panel-details/
http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/07/10/hasbro-star-wars-sdcc-panel-details/#commentsFri, 10 Jul 2015 19:24:24 +0000http://www.sirstevesguide.com/?p=5373Forum user and friend of the site Bikerscout is sending in info from the Hasbro Star Wars Comic-Con panel going on right now (noon, July 10th), including the Fan Choice 6″ figure reveal. The panel has ended (12:35pm PST), so read on for the details and take a look at that massive 6″-scale The Force […]

]]>Forum user and friend of the site Bikerscout is sending in info from the Hasbro Star Wars Comic-Con panel going on right now (noon, July 10th), including the Fan Choice 6″ figure reveal. The panel has ended (12:35pm PST), so read on for the details and take a look at that massive 6″-scale The Force Awakens TIE Fighter.